Many employers will quietly allow people to take vacation time or a personal day for such an occasion, but some actually make it a part of company policy.

Kimpton Hotels, the largest chain of boutique hotels in the U.S. is one of those companies. Founder Bill Kimpton is an animal lover who was known for bringing Chianti, his pet border collie, to work with him every day starting in 1981. His company has supported “the special relationship humans have with their pets” and allowed managers to grant up to three days of paid bereavement leave for the loss of an animal companion.

Along with Trupanion, software company VM Ware, insurance company Maxwell Health, and candy and pet food maker Mars, Inc. also have policies that allow varying amounts of time away from work after a loss.

A 2009 study, published in the journal Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, found nearly a third of all people who lose a pet feel sadness and grief for six months or more. Some experience the effects of post traumatic stress.